ContentNext Media, the parent company of blogtrepreneur Rafat Ali’s media news site PaidContent.org has named former Dow Jones executive Nathan Richardson as the company’s new CEO. He’s pictured here in his days as general manager of Yahoo Finance. Most recently, Richardson has been doing volunteer work in Liberia for the International Rescue Committee. The move will free Ali from his role as CEO to focus on editorial duties. Look for the company to announce another senior-level hire by early next week. The move makes it clear that company is focused on continuing to grow independently and Ali certainly won’t be selling it to TechCrunch investor-slash-journalist Michael Arrington anytime soon. Update: More on the company’s as-yet-unannounced moves after the jump.
The other new hire will be a senior sales manager, who previously worked in a similar position at Forbes according to a source familiar with the company. (Forbes sales contact Kevin Getzel is my wild guess.) Also, the board of directors will be adding a new member, “a well known name in entertainment and media.” And what convinced Richardson to give up his good works in Africa? Death threats from armed rebels. Sounds to me like a smart move. (Photo by John Abbott)